1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement in suspension means for use in vehicles, and more particularly to a wheel camber adjusting means for use with a Mc. Pherson strut type suspension means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the Mc. Pherson strut type suspension of vehicles, the wheel alignment thereof causes problems such as partial wear of the tire resulting from, for example, improper wheel alignment due to, for example, distortions of the wheel body which originate in standard deviations at the time of wheel attachment, use of the wheel with years, etc. This requires correction of the toe-in, caster and camber of the attached wheel. With respect to the toe-in and caster corrections, a variety of means are usually employed therefor and the goal to make such corrections is reached. With respect to the camber correction, however, there may be a failure to make such correction, due to a geometric construction of the suspension means. Namely, the operation for such correction is followed by the adjusting operation for the associated mechanisms, other than mechanisms for such correction, of the suspension means. Therefore, the camber setting operation becomes complicated and much time is needed to carry it out.
As one of the existing or preceding countermeasures to remedying such drawbacks a suspension means is provided which is of the type wherein extended portions designed to abut on each other within a vertical flat plane substantially parallel to the lateral direction of the vehicle are provided on the lower end of the shock absorber and on the knuckle arm, respectively; and both said extended portions are overlapped upon and pivotally connected to each other through one pair of two pair of holes formed through the extended portions. The position of one of the extended portions relative to the other is changed by using an eccentric connection means passed through the other pair of said two pairs of holes through an eccentric circular plate, to thereby carry out the camber change or correction. According to the suspension means having such structure, the extent of camber adjustment is determined by imparting a desired, corresponding eccentricity to the eccentric circular plate. However, this movement results in an increase in size of the overlapped extended section having such eccentric circular plate incorporated therein. Further, according to in the prior art suspension means, a violent, vertical and repetitive load applied onto the extended section is sustained or resisted by the shearing strength of connecting bolts therefor and the frictional force between the two components thereof. But a fixing moment about the extended section resulting from the offset between the point of application of a load produced from contact of the wheel with the ground and the overlapped extended section has to nullified by the lateral couple of forces of both the connecting bolts which are the same in magnitude and opposite in direction. This would be of help to further the tendency of one component of the overlapped section to move relative to the other within the plane of overlapping and furthermore become a factor to cause a variation in the setting amount of camber.